UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks ‘out of control’

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar has warned that the Southeast Asian nation is in crisis, with conflict escalating, criminal networks “out of control” and human suffering at unprecedented levels. Julie Bishop told the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee on Tuesday in her first report since being appointed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last April that “Myanmar actors must move beyond the current zero-sum mentality.” In the past year, three powerful ethnic armed militias have gained territory, keeping the government’s ruling military increasingly on the back foot. Bishop called for an end to the violence, stressing that “There can be little progress on addressing the needs of the people while armed conflict continues across the country.”